Two days, two moods
4 May is Remembrance Day (Nationale Dodenherdenking). It commemorates all Dutch civilians and soldiers who died during the Second World War, as well as in the wars and peacekeeping missions that followed. It is not a public holiday: shops, offices and museums open in the morning, then the country slows down in the late afternoon. The high point never changes: at exactly 8pm, the whole country observes two minutes of silence.
On 5 May, Liberation Day (Bevrijdingsdag), the tone changes completely: open-air festivals, neighbourhood meals and an evening concert celebrate regained freedom. The date refers to the surrender of the German troops in the Netherlands, signed in Wageningen in May 1945. In Amsterdam, the joy was marred by tragedy: on 7 May 1945, German soldiers opened fire on the crowd gathered on Dam Square to welcome the Allies, and Canadian troops did not enter the city until 8 May.
To visit the memorial sites themselves (hiding places, museums, monuments), see our guide Amsterdam and the Second World War. This page focuses on the ceremonies and celebrations of 4 and 5 May.
4 May: the national ceremony on Dam Square
The national ceremony takes place every 4 May in the evening on Dam Square, in front of the National Monument. This 22-metre column of white travertine, designed by J.J.P. Oud and sculpted by John Rädecker, was unveiled on 4 May 1956; the semicircular wall around it holds urns containing soil from execution sites and war cemeteries.
The programme (2026 times)
- 6pm: across the country, flags on public buildings are lowered to half-mast until sunset.
- 7pm: gathering in the Nieuwe Kerk, next to the palace, with the 4 May speech, broadcast live on public television (NPO 1).
- 7:30pm: arrival of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima.
- 7:55pm: the procession leaves the Nieuwe Kerk and walks to the National Monument through a guard of honour of veterans and military personnel.
- 8pm: military bugle call (Taptoe), then two minutes of silence as the palace clock strikes.
- 8:02pm: the Wilhelmus, the national anthem, then the laying of wreaths, starting with that of the royal couple on behalf of all Dutch people, followed by wreaths on behalf of the victims and the authorities.
Amsterdam schoolchildren then lay flowers, and the King and Queen lead the public procession past the monument. The 2027 times have not been published yet; the time of the silence, however, never changes.
Attending the ceremony
In 2026, the square was open to all, with no booking or registration, as in 2025 (in 2024, booking had been required). You can enter from the Damrak side, coming from Central Station, or from the Paleisstraat and Rokin side, coming from the centre. Spots close to the monument go early: arrive at least an hour before the start.
The rules are strict. Police may search visitors at the entrances, large bags are discouraged, and flags, banners and sound amplifiers are banned, as are drones. Noisy demonstrations are prohibited around Dam Square. Local residents must keep their windows closed and stay off their balconies during the ceremony.
Other 4 May commemorations in Amsterdam
All over the city, more intimate ceremonies take place at the same time, often open to everyone. Here are those on the 2026 programme of the Amsterdam 4 and 5 May committee:
- The silent march (Stille Tocht): meet at 5:45pm on Museumplein, departure around 6:15pm. The procession passes the Rijksmuseum, stops at the Fallen Bugler monument (Gevallen Hoornblazer), which commemorates those executed on 12 March 1945, then walks up Vijzelgracht to Dam Square, where an area is reserved for the marchers.
- The Hollandsche Schouwburg: every 4 May, a local commemoration brings together the Jewish Cultural Quarter, Plantage residents and pupils from a nearby school in this former theatre where Amsterdam's Jews were rounded up before their deportation, between July 1942 and November 1943 (starting at 7:30pm in 2026).
- The Homomonument: on Westermarkt, at the foot of the Westerkerk, a silent march leaves the church at 7:30pm and the ceremony begins at 7:50pm, in memory of persecuted gay people.
- Noordermarkt and many neighbourhoods (Transvaalbuurt, Betondorp, De Baarsjes, Oud-West) hold their own gatherings between 7:15pm and 8:30pm.
- Open Jewish Homes (Open Joodse Huizen): during the day, residents open their doors to tell the story of their home during the war. In 2026, the Frank family's former apartment, at Merwedeplein 37, was open from 10am to 2pm.
The Wertheimpark monument
Not far from the Hollandsche Schouwburg, the "Nooit meer Auschwitz" (Never Again Auschwitz) monument in Wertheimpark, a work of broken mirrors by the writer and artist Jan Wolkers, reflects a sky that can never be whole again after Auschwitz; an urn containing ashes of victims lies beneath it. It hosts the national Holocaust commemoration, held every year at the end of January, and you can come to pay your respects freely all year round. The pages on the Resistance Museum and the Jewish Cultural Quarter give the opening times of the nearby sites, in the Plantage neighbourhood.
5 May: Liberation Day
The Liberation Fire and the national opening
Just after midnight, in the night of 4 to 5 May, the Liberation Fire (Bevrijdingsvuur) is lit in Wageningen; some 2,500 relay runners then carry it to more than a hundred municipalities. In Amsterdam, the flame arrived on 5 May 2026 at 12:30pm on Plein '40-'45, in the Slotermeer district (Nieuw-West). The official opening of the day, with the 5 May lecture, took place in Utrecht in 2026, and that year the country had fourteen official Liberation festivals, all free.
Liberation festivals in Amsterdam
Several open-air celebrations livened up the city on 5 May 2026:
- Het Vrije Westen, Amsterdam's Liberation festival, in Westerpark, from 2pm to 11pm: around ten stages, concerts, DJs, performances, children's activities and street food trucks. Free entry; card payment only on site.
- The Bevrijdingsdans Festival on Museumplein, from noon to 10pm (main programme from 2pm to 9pm): dance demonstrations and workshops, silent disco. Free entry.
- Pllek, at NDSM, in the Noord district (noon-10pm), ZO IS VRIJ on Anton de Komplein, in Zuidoost (2pm-9pm), and Ontsnapte Klanken on Haarlemmerplein (3pm-10pm).
- Freedom meals (Vrijheidsmaaltijden): community centres, cafés and parks organise shared tables, usually between 11am and 3pm.
The 2027 programme will be published in spring by the Amsterdam 4 and 5 May committee.
The 5 May concert on the Amstel
The day ends with the 5 May concert (5 mei-concert), held on the Amstel in front of the Royal Theatre Carré, near the Magere Brug. The King and Queen attend every year. In 2026, the Royal Netherlands Navy Band accompanied Dutch artists from 9pm to 10:30pm. The 2027 edition, the 33rd, is announced for Wednesday 5 May from 9pm to 10:30pm. Admission is free, with no ticket: you watch from the quays. The Magere Brug is closed to the public that evening, and watching the concert from a boat requires a permit. The concert is also broadcast live on television.
What is open or closed
| Date | Event | Place | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 May, daytime | Open Jewish Homes | Several neighbourhoods | Free; some museums close earlier that day |
| 4 May, 5:45pm | Silent march | From Museumplein to Dam Square | Free |
| 4 May, 7pm | Shops close | Whole country | Mandatory (Shop Opening Hours Act) |
| 4 May, 7:30pm | Local commemoration | Hollandsche Schouwburg | Free |
| 4 May, 8pm | Two minutes of silence | Dam Square and the whole country | Square open to all (2026), searches possible |
| 5 May, 12:30pm | Arrival of the Liberation Fire | Plein '40-'45 | Free |
| 5 May, afternoon | Liberation festivals | Westerpark, Museumplein, NDSM… | Free entry (Westerpark, Museumplein) |
| 5 May, 9pm | 5 May concert | Amstel, in front of Carré | Free, from the quays |
Times from the 2026 programme, checked in October 2026; those for 2027 will be published in spring.
On 4 May, the law requires shops to close at 7pm. The Anne Frank House closes at 5pm instead of 10pm; check each museum's website to see whether its hours change. On 5 May, the law imposes no closures: in central Amsterdam, shops and most supermarkets open at their usual hours.
5 May has been an official public holiday since 1990, but not everyone gets the day off: it depends on collective labour agreements, and many grant it only in jubilee years, every five years. 2025, the 80th anniversary of the Liberation, was one; the next will be 2030. Schools are usually closed.
Transport and rules to follow
- At 8pm on 4 May, GVB trams, buses, metros and ferries stop for two minutes in a safe place; so do NS trains. In the evening, several tram lines are diverted around Dam Square: check the GVB app or our guide to public transport in Amsterdam.
- The silence from 8pm to 8:02pm is observed everywhere, including in the street and public places. Stop, stay quiet and turn off any music for those two minutes.
- Flags: on 4 May, the national flag flies at half-mast, without the orange pennant, and stays there after the silence. On 5 May, it can be raised to the top of the mast from sunrise to sunset.
- Church bells may ring from 7:45pm to 7:59pm on 4 May, before the silence.
- On the evening of 5 May, the Amstel quays and the festivals draw big crowds: come by public transport or on foot rather than by bike.
Further reading
4 and 5 May come shortly after King's Day on 27 April and fall in the middle of tulip season: book your accommodation early. To place these dates in the year, read our guide to the best time to visit Amsterdam, and to round off your visit to the memorial sites, our itinerary Amsterdam and the Second World War.
